


I'm Watching You This Time

by Readvelvett



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Mystery, Roommates, everyone aside from ot5 are side characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24461113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Readvelvett/pseuds/Readvelvett
Summary: Wendy thought her roommate situation couldn't possibly get worse until she was put with Bae Joohyun, polar opposites never really mix after all. But it doesn't take long for Wendy to realize that nothing is as it seems to be.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Comments: 13
Kudos: 64





	1. First Impressions Can Be Tough

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Young the Giant's "Mind Over Matter"

Whoever said that college roommates often become your life long friends has evidently never met Wendy’s roommate. Here she is in her junior year of university with possibly the worst roommate to ever exist in the form of a woman named Ahn Hyejin. 

_ “Call me Hwasa. _ ” She had told Wendy on the first day they had met, her hand outstretched and smile wide. Oh how Wendy would come to loathe that smile.

It took three long months for Wendy to finally break after dealing with Hwasa’s increasingly disturbing personality. It started when she had caught the brunette snooping through her drawers after returning from class early. To Wendy’s absolute shock, Hwasa didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed about her invasion of privacy and Wendy couldn’t say she was surprised when she caught her again.

It escalated into Hwasa eventually “borrowing” Wendy’s things, a pencil or pen, a book, some makeup, shampoo, even her shirts. She wouldn’t have necessarily minded had Hwasa at least asked before taking and if, you know, she actually returned the items she blatantly stole. Wendy wasn’t an easy person to upset really, she was a premed student and she knew how to handle difficult people. It just didn’t help that Hwasa was much less difficult and much more unbearable to share a living space with.

Wendy’s eventual breaking point hit shortly after Hwasa found herself a boyfriend, one Wendy never cared too much to familiarize herself with. He seemed incapable of holding an intelligent conversation and for that reason alone Wendy simply didn’t care about him. She wouldn’t have been so bothered by him had he not spent every waking moment in their room, and she still shivers at the memory of her returning from the showers clad in a towel to find him lounging on Hwasa’s (unmade) bed. 

_ “Oh my god,” _ her hands had instinctively crossed over her chest when she saw him staring at her,  _ “what the hell are you doing here?” _

_ “Waiting for Hwasa.” _

She felt violated by the fact that he didn’t immediately leave or even try to hide the fact that he wanted to see her naked. She really should’ve just walked in sweaty from her track practice instead, maybe that would’ve scared him off. And if his constant presence wasn’t enough, the amount of times Wendy had to leave the room because they couldn’t be bothered asking her to before they started touching each other was more than she could count on her hands and toes.

Wendy vividly remembers knocking on her best friends’ door wildly, storming in with disgust lacing her features as she explained. She remembers Joy’s snort and Seulgi’s embarrassed face as the latter patted her arm awkwardly as she extended an offer to her,  _ “You can always stay here.” _

As tempting and polite as the offer was, Wendy really wanted her own room with her own bed again and she knew it was time to move out. So after a week of working up the courage, she told Hwasa as bluntly as possible that she would be moving out. The girl seemed unbothered by her statement and Wendy didn’t know whether to be relieved or offended. 

Nevertheless, that’s how she ends up sitting in the housing assistant’s office a few days after requesting a roommate change. The housing assistant was a friendly middle aged man but Wendy always felt a bit creeped out by his lingering gazes, she just wanted her new key and to be out of there as soon as possible. She fiddled with her thumbs as the man typed away on his keyboard, inputting her student number to confirm her room switch.

“So,” he begins, shooting her an uneasy smile, “it appears you’re moving into 230 is that right?”

Wendy thinks he must’ve misread, she doesn’t recall that being the room number her friend Jeongyeon told her and she’s fairly certain that’s not the room she applied for. “I don’t think so, I’m pretty sure I applied for 229 with Yoo Jeongyeon.”

“Hmm,” the man, Mr. Kim, pushes his glasses up his face a bit as he inspects the name on the screen, “it says here your request was for room 230, there's no Yoo Jeongyeon in that room.”

This had to be wrong, Wendy clearly remembers asking the other girl just a few days ago when she had decided to hunt for new roommates. They were friends on the track team, usually paired together to run the long distance sprints. They had been lounging in the grass after a sprint when she asked, _ “Hey, you don’t have a roommate right?” _

Jeongyeon had finished tying her shoe and sat back, resting her hands on the ground as she shook her head,  _ “Nope, why? Are you looking for a new one?” _

_ “Yeah, I don’t think my current situation is working out.” _ Wendy spared her the details of the situation, hoping Jeongyeon would agree without asking. Thankfully, that’s exactly what the girl did.

_ “Ah okay,” _ Wendy sucked her lip in as Jeongyeon ran a hand through her bobbed hair,  _ “I’m in room 229, you can request me on the housing page if you want. I’m neat and pretty quiet.” _

Wendy didn’t need to tell her that she would even take loud and annoying over her current situation, as long as Jeongyeon didn’t have impromptu sex or touch her things they’d be fine. Plus, Wendy actually knew Jeongyeon and she was sure they would get along just fine. She didn’t waste any time in pulling up the website on her laptop and requesting a room change, all the while Hwasa took half nude photos in their shared mirror just a few feet away. Wendy couldn’t possibly have waited longer to get out of there.

“That can’t be correct sir, I specifically requested 229 I’m sure of it.” 

Mr. Kim merely sighed and rubbed a hand over his stubbly chin, “Well, I’m afraid the processing already went through for this room. If you’d like to switch again it comes with a fee.”

A fee? Wendy wasn’t interested in paying any more than she had to, she was only at this school because of a scholarship really. It was either stay with Hwasa or take the new room, maybe it didn’t have another occupant and she got lucky.

“Who lives in 230?” She crossed her fingers, praying he would tell her she’s alone, but that’s not what happened. No, what happened was much worse.

“It seems here that you’ll be living with,” he squints and Wendy gulps in anticipation, “Bae Joohyun.”

Fantastic. She’d be going from one freakshow to the next. Bae Joohyun was preferably the last person she’d want to room with. She’d rather have Kim Jisoo, the girl who’s known for getting blackout drunk every weekend. This was certainly a dilemma, Wendy didn’t want to stay with Hwasa but moving in with Bae Joohyun was less than ideal. 

“So, what do you say?” She bites her lip as he waits for her to answer, today could not be going any worse than it already is. She extends her hand with a sigh, rubbing her temple with the other one.

“Just give me the key.” All Wendy could do as he placed the key in her hand and shooed her away was pray that Bae Joohyun wasn’t as nightmarish as the rumors made her out to be.

-

“So let me get this straight,” Wendy lazily picked at her noodles as Seulgi munched on her own food after listening to Wendy’s current predicament, “ _ The _ Bae Joohyun is your new roommate?”

“Unfortunately.” Wendy replies shortly, resting her chin against her palm as her elbow bruises against the table. “Let’s just hope I didn’t make a mistake.”

Seulgi lets out a surprised sound as she slurped on another spoonful of her dinner, both Yeri and Joy stunned by her admission.The four of them tried to meet up every evening for dinner, but Seulgi’s late classes got in the way sometimes and Yeri had too many friends for her own good. It was one of the scarce times they had actually planned to meet up, especially after Wendy told them she had important news.

“You know Wendy, I heard Joohyun is one of those…” Yeri trails off, twirling her chopsticks as she tries to come up with the appropriate word, turning to Joy for help but the older girl just shrugged, “Mutes? Is that the word for the people who don’t talk?”

“Yes Yeri, that’s what a mute is. I know you’re a music major but did you even take a single language class?” Yeri scoffed and smacked Joy for her teasing words, grumbling into her own dinner about her shortcoming. “Anyways, that’s not true. I have a friend who’s in one of her classes and they told me she sounds like a gremlin.”

Wendy isn’t sure if her friends are just trying to worry or spook her, knowing the two it was probable, but she really wasn’t in the mood tonight. “As long as she doesn’t touch my stuff or bring her boyfriend over we’re fine.”

Her friends erupt into laughter after that, even Seulgi who seems amused by Wendy’s lack of knowledge on the rumors surrounding Joohyun. Yeri nearly chokes on her noodles as she cackles loudly in signature Yeri fashion.

“Boyfriend? No, no, no my friend. Bae Joohyun doesn’t have a single friend, let alone a boyfriend.”

“She’s one of those Jesus freaks who probably thinks holding hands before marriage is a sin,” Joy places her spoon down, pushing the bowl away from her to prevent herself from eating anymore, “haven’t you seen her around before? Wearing her cross and dressed like showing skin is going to cause Hell to open up and swallow her whole?”

Wendy thinks for a moment, she’s not sure if she’s actually ever seen Joohyun. The name isn’t one people typically forget once they hear it, especially because of all the crazy rumors that constantly fly around about her. Her spoon clatters into her bowl as she shakes her head, she can’t recall ever even seeing a photo of the girl.

“Never? Really? We live in the same building as her, how have you not seen her?” Joy sounds surprised as if the three of them don’t live on the floor above Joohyun. Yeri seems equally as surprised.

“Even I’ve seen her once or twice, and I live in a different building;” the youngest slurps loudly on a noodle, manners nowhere to be seen as she proceeds to speak with her mouth full, “maybe that’s just luck though, I hear she’s never really around all that often.”

“Yeah, I hear she disappears for long periods of time too,” Joy wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, though Wendy isn’t sure what she’s suggesting, “maybe she’s in a cult or something and the little christian girl is just an act.”

Yeri smirked evilly at Joy’s suggestion, playing along and pointing her spoon towards Wendy. “Maybe you’ll be her next sacrifice.”

The two high five as they succeed in making Wendy feel uneasy about her new roommate, after knowing all that she knows maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Seulgi, ever the observant best friend, comes to her rescue with a stern tone.

“Alright children knock it off,” her hand snakes around Wendy’s side and tugs her into a protective side hug, “let’s not scare poor Wannie here. Besides, these are all just rumors after all. Maybe she’s really nice.”

The younger duo snort but don’t say anything else, acquiescing to Seulgi’s requests for them to back down and not scare their incredibly gullible friend. It doesn’t make Wendy feel any better, even if Seulgi tries her best she really has a strange feeling about her new roommate. 

“Maybe, but I’m not too interested in finding out. Have fun moving in Wen!” Wendy watches as Joy salutes her and shoots her a sweet smile, grabbing her dishes and beckoning for Yeri to follow to which the younger does with a sinister smile.

“I’ll text you later to make sure she hasn’t eaten you yet.” Wendy rolls her eyes at the girl’s playful teasing and Seulgi scoffs. Suddenly, it’s just the two of them alone, just like the beginning of their freshman year when they were paired to be roommates.

“Seul,” Wendy turns to her best friend with puppy dog eyes and Seulgi already knows where this is going, “you’ll help me move in right?”

“Of course I will. What kind of a best friend would I be if I didn’t?”

“Ones named Park Sooyoung and Kim Yerim.” The two laugh at her response, falling into a short silence after. Seulgi continues to finish her (third) bowl of noodles and Wendy picks at her own, sinking into her thoughts. Sometimes she wonders if her and Seulgi would’ve been roommates this year had they not fallen out the year prior. Even if they made up, the scar from their fight remained and Seulgi kept Joy as her roommate, leaving Wendy alone to deal with the repercussions of her actions even after Seulgi forgave her. She should really just be thankful that Seulgi forgave her in the first place.

“You know I love you right?” She worries now more than ever that Seulgi doesn’t know, but the girl gives her an eye smile, one that Wendy loves more than anything.

“Of course I do, I love you too dummy.”

Seulgi’s focus turns back to her nearly empty bowl as Wendy zones into the chatter of the crowded dining hall around her. Her best friend must really love her to be brave enough to help her move in with a walking rumor, she definitely owed Seulgi after this.

-

Wendy doesn’t think she’s ever actively hoped for something more than for Joohyun to not be around when she moved in. The process would be far more bearable if the woman wasn’t there to watch her and Seulgi's every move. Wendy was always good with people, but she’s not sure if her people skills are really going to come in handy with someone like Joohyun and she’d rather have the time to scope out her room before deciding on how to approach the girl.

“Is this it?” Wendy is pulled from her thoughts when Seulgi approaches her, cart full of her belongings trailing behind her. Wendy realizes now how little she really had, barely filling up one single cart.

“It should be, at least I hope it is,” Wendy scowls at the thought of her old room, “I don’t need an excuse to come back here again.”

The two of them wheel the cart to the elevator in relative silence, she’d miss the third floor. The RA was nice and the people were quiet, she heard the second floor is much more rowdy and being an athlete, she needs all the rest and peace she can get. At least Joohyun is quiet. Well, that is according to Yeri and the rumors so she wasn’t sure how plausible it was, but she sure hoped the girl wasn’t too loud. 

The room was at the end of the hall, the last door on the left. It was far away from an escape if she needed one, not that she was worried she would. Plus, Jeongyeon lived right across the hall, if she needed refuge she had a friendly face.

Wendy shakes her head in astonishment, there was certainly no need for her to be worrying like this. She blames Joy and Yeri for putting thoughts into her head. They approached the door and Wendy took her key out, taking a deep breath and praying that this wasn’t a mistake. She looked to Seulgi who nodded encouragingly before she unlocked the door, pushing it open and sighing in relief when she realized no one was there.

“Oh thank God.” Wendy flipped the lights on and scoped out the room to make sure her roommate wasn’t actually there. Seulgi pulled the cart up to the door after, looking around the room slowly. 

“Well, she seems pretty neat, so that’s already a plus.”

Wendy couldn't deny it, Joohyun’s side of the room was very neat, her bed was made without a single crease. She observed some of the girl’s things, at least the minimal amount that there was to see. She had a bible on her desk, a cross hanging on the wall above it, though Wendy isn’t sure how she managed to hang it up on a concrete wall. Her dresser had nothing on top of it, no photos, no extra clothes, no anything. Come to think of it, there were no photos anywhere on her side of the room, not a single picture of her or family or friends. Wendy thinks it's strange really, who doesn’t keep at least one picture of friends or family? 

Joohyun’s side of their vanity was also insanely neat, a few hair products and some face wash, no makeup in sight. Wendy wasn’t really one to wear makeup either, she’d probably sweat it off during her seven-days-a-week track practices, but even she had a few products. She had secretly hoped that maybe Joohyun’s belongings would give her some details on the girl, but she had nothing of interest, her side was practically bare as if someone merely lived there part time. 

“Well,” Wendy turns back to Seulgi with an uneasy expression, catching the taller girl’s puzzled face, “I guess she’s not very decorative.”

“Neither are you, you’re perfect for each other.” Seulgi gave her a teasing glance but two could play at this game.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d assume you’re jealous Ms. Kang.”

“You caught me, I’m totally jealous.”

They laughed it off, beginning to unpack some of Wendy’s things without much communication. Silence was comfortable between them, it always had been, that’s how Wendy knew that they’d be great friends. Seulgi helps organize her desk while she puts her clothes away, then they work on setting the sheets on the bed.

“You can always stay with Sooyoung and I if you need to.” Seulgi tells her as they tug the blue fitted sheet over the mattress.

“I’ll hold you to that, who knows what kind of freak show Bae Joohyun is.”

The door shuts as soon as Wendy and Seulgi stop laughing, and they jump in unison, turning to the entryway. A girl stands there, backpack slung over her shoulders and an unreadable expression present on her face. _ Great _ , Wendy thinks,  _ what a fantastic first impression.  _ The girl, Joohyun, she assumes, says nothing as she places her bookbag down on her desk chair. Wendy and Seulgi make quick eye contact, the taller gesturing for her to say something, and Wendy rubs her nape in embarrassment as she steps towards the girl. 

“You must be Joohyun,” Wendy thinks this can’t get any more awkward as the girl turns to face her with a blank expression, “I’m Wendy, you’re new roommate.”

She extends her hand politely, but she’s not surprised when the girl doesn’t shake it. She kind of deserved that. Joohyun doesn’t say anything either, and the two just stare somewhat awkwardly at one another. Wendy realizes this is the first time she’s actually seen what she looks like, and she’s momentarily stunned by how beautiful Joohyun is. Her facial features are soft and round and her skin is perfectly smooth albeit a little pale. She’s around the same height as Wendy and much skinnier, but that’s due to Wendy’s muscular build from years of track. She’s dressed in a simple shirt with a long cardigan hanging around her shoulders and a pair of jeans with sneakers to match. Wendy isn’t sure why she was expecting some Carrie style clothing from the girl, but she’s slightly relieved to know that Joohyun appears at least somewhat normal.

So why is it that people surround this girl in rumors?

“I um,” they take their eyes away from each other to look at Seulgi, who looks more than uncomfortable, “I should get going, I have a date with Kai.”

Right, Wendy almost forgot Kai and Seulgi were even dating, what a shitty friend she is. In her defense, it’s hard to remember when the girl rarely brings him up, even if they have been going strong for over a year. She waves Seulgi off, eyes silently pleading for help but she knows Seulgi has already helped her enough for one day. Once the door shuts behind her, Wendy realizes she’s completely alone with her roommate, who is rooted in the same spot and inspecting Wendy’s side of the room. Her eyes hold no judgement but no intrigue either, they just seem indifferent. Maybe that’s a good thing, maybe she doesn’t mind Wendy’s presence.

“Look,” Wendy approaches her again, feeling a bit guilty for having insulted her, “I’m sorry about what I said, it was rude and I shouldn’t have said something like that.”

Joohyun blinks at her once, twice, then purses her lips. “It’s fine.”

Her voice is quiet, really quiet, and definitely not similar to a gremlin at all, so there’s one rumor proven false. “I’m sorry if I’m also invading your space, there was a mistake in the room switch.”

Joohyun didn’t seem too interested in what she had to say, ignoring her as she reached under her neatly made bed to grab another bag. Wendy watched in silence as Joohyun slung the bag over her arm, grabbing her wallet and key from her backpack at her desk.

“I’ll be back late,” she doesn’t turn to look at Wendy as she pulls the door open, “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t have anyone over then.”

Wendy doesn’t get a word in before she walks out and shuts the door behind her, leaving Wendy to stand in shock and silence. She had managed to offend her roommate before saying a single word to her. So much for a good first impression, now she had to live with a girl who evidently didn’t want her around. Maybe she’d take Seulgi up on that offer to stay with her and Joy, but she could make it through one night, right? She takes a deep breath and plops down onto her desk chair, pulling her laptop from her backpack and opening it to start some coursework. 

Wendy could only hope she wouldn’t get crucified in her sleep that night.


	2. Phone Numbers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wendy finds herself even more confused as she interacts with Joohyun. Something about her just doesn't sit quite right with Wendy.

Early morning runs were a part of Wendy’s everyday routine. Wake up at 8, drink some water, and go for a run. She never wavered with routines, they kept her in check and regimented, something she definitely needs to keep that scholarship she’s on. Her natural ability to run is what got her here in the first place, she wouldn’t let that slip away from her now. Besides, running is one of her favorite activities, the solitude of her morning runs was an outlet for all of her pent up feelings and thoughts. She was free to think and feel whatever she wanted with no one around to sway her. 

Today was no different, but she had more than a few thoughts weighing heavy on her mind. Wendy found that the heavier the thought, the more weighed down she became, and she needed to feel light. Her mood affected her ability to run, and right now that ability was the only thing she had keeping her going. She thought in silence, not even music accompanying her swirling thoughts as she jogged around the school’s track. 

Bae Joohyun was at the forefront of her mind, why that was, Wendy had no idea. She hadn’t gotten the girl off of her mind since their first encounter, and throughout the night that presence only grew. She had tucked herself into bed around 11 PM like she usually does, and the girl still hadn’t returned. She did say she’d be back late, so Wendy didn’t think much of it. However, she hadn’t expected late to mean nearly four in the morning. She remembers being rudely awoken by the sound of a loud thump and a startled exclamation. The lights flicked on shortly after and Wendy saw Joohyun dusting her clothes off, the same she had left in. She looked a bit disheveled, her hair a bit messy as she regained her composure, inspecting the floor for the reason she tripped. It was Wendy’s sneaker, one that she had carelessly left right near the entrance to their room. She had apologized to Joohyun and asked if she was okay, but the girl didn’t respond, grabbing her shower caddy and towel and disappearing. Wendy had fallen asleep by the time she returned.

The entire ordeal played out heavily in Wendy’s mind, she felt bad about possibly injuring her roommate who most likely already hates her. But why was Joohyun returning so late, where had she been all that time? It wasn’t her business, Wendy knew that and she respected Joohyun’s privacy, half out of genuine respect and half out of fear that she’d be sacrificed to a demon or something if she didn’t. Her confusion only furthered though, when she woke up at her usual time to find Joohyun gone, bed made neatly and her book bag gone. Does this girl even sleep? How did she have enough energy? The questions kept coming and Wendy didn’t have a single answer, she knew virtually nothing about Joohyun, why did she even care that much in the first place?

Wendy finished her run feeling much more exhausted than she had before she started, the usual light feeling completely absent this time around. She trudged back to the dorm, ready to slip into the showers and wash away all her curiosity and officially start her day. She’s not necessarily surprised to find her room empty after she returns from her shower, Wendy feels as though she should get used to an empty room.

-

Tuesdays were a pretty light day for Wendy in terms of classes. She had one in the morning at 10 and then two more from 1 PM to 4 PM. She also liked Tuesdays because her first class was at the same time as Joy’s and that meant the two could briefly catch up as they walked to class. Joy might be obnoxious and arrogant, and when paired with Yeri the two are absolutely insufferable to handle, but she’s a friend Wendy holds dear. All three of her best friends were close to her heart, Seulgi taking the biggest space because they’ve been nearly inseparable for three years. If only they hadn’t had their fight, their relationship would probably be much stronger than it is now, but Wendy only had herself to blame for that. She loved Joy and Yeri just as much though, they’re teasing and taunting was a nice balance to Seulgi’s gentleness and they always kept her on her toes. Speaking of Joy, Wendy isn’t surprised that the girl is late getting ready again, Joy can sleep through anything.

“Sooyoung, we need to leave like,” Wendy looks at her wrist as if she’s looking at a watch, “like five minutes ago.”

The raven rolled her eyes, slipping a shirt over her head and tugging her jeans on. Two years ago, Wendy would have blushed madly at the sight of her friend in just a bra and underwear, but she’s gotten so used to all three other best friends changing around her it doesn’t phase her anymore. If anything, the brunette is just relieved that her friends feel comfortable with her sexuality, never once making her feel judged for her preference. She remembers telling each of them, where Seulgi gave her a big hug and a wide smile, Joy teased her mercilessly but was ultimately thankful that Wendy trusted her enough. Yeri was the most surprising, to this day she claims she had something in her eye, but Wendy knows she was crying. The youngest was always a sap whether she admitted to it or not. 

“Sooyoung, we really need to leave or we’ll both be late. I can’t be late to lab, again.”

Joy points a finger at her impatient friend momentarily before continuing to tie her shoes. “That was your fault not mine, watch where you walk next time and we won’t have to take you to the infirmary.” 

“Maybe if you hadn’t tripped me I wouldn’t have had to go!”

“It was an accident, we’ve been over this!”

“Okay, okay, whatever, we need to go!”

Joy grumbled as she slipped the strap of her bag over her shoulder, following Wendy out of her room and locking the door. They make their way out of the building and towards the main plaza where all of the lecture halls are situated, Wendy speed walking unintentionally and Joy huffing to keep up with her.

“It’s not fair, you do track I can’t keep up!” She whines and Wendy rolls her eyes, slowing down despite the limited time they have to make it to class.

“You have long legs, this shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

Joy simply mimics her teasingly, and Wendy just sighs in response. They settle into silence for a moment before Joy is shouldering her gently. “So, how was the first night with Ms. Nightmare? I heard she walked in on you insulting her.”

Wendy flinched, grimacing as she remembered the incident. “Yeah, not my best first impression. And it was weird honestly, really weird.”

“How so?” The plaza was nearing and they traveled down a set of steps.

“She left and told me she’d be back late, I didn’t know late meant close to four in the morning. Then she was gone when I woke up again. It’s just weird to me, like why was she out so late?” Joy smirked triumphantly and Wendy already knew where this was going to go, you can’t take the arrogance out of Joy.

“Told you so, she disappears. And considering you’re on her bad side, I’d watch out for any witching rituals.” That lands her a smack to the shoulder, which she promptly rubs with a pout.

“Don’t say that! It doesn’t help that she tripped over my shoe and that’s what woke me up.” Wendy’s cheeks flame in embarrassment as she remembers and Joy pokes her in the side teasingly.

“Ooooh, you’ve really done it now.” Wendy often wonders how Joy made it into college, she’s so immature sometimes regardless of how much Wendy adores her. As a fashion design major, Wendy guesses the personality is just a part of her so she doesn’t mind it all that much, it’s entertaining anyways. “Hey, speaking of the wicked witch, isn’t that her over there?”

Wendy’s eyes snap to where Joy is pointing within seconds, and she’s surprised to see that it actually is Joohyun. She’s walking in the opposite direction, Wendy presumes it’s back towards the dorm. “Yeah, that’s her. She seems so normal, I don’t understand where the rumors come from.”

Joy slings an arm over Wendy’s shoulder as they continue to walk. “People are a disease my friend, they spread things like wildfire.”

Wendy can’t argue with that one. She half listens to Joy go on about a boy in her class as they get closer to their destination, but her eyes are still trained on Joohyun. The girl isn’t paying attention, she has her phone in hand and seems to be furiously typing something. Wendy can tell that she seems upset, even from a distance. But then something catches her eye, a man much taller than Joohyun was trailing now too far behind her. She wouldn’t have thought anything of it had he not also been intently staring at Joohyun. As she goes to point him out to Joy however, he immediately veers off the path and away from Joohyun. She thinks it's weird, but she must’ve just been imagining things. Her and Joy eventually part ways and Wendy sits idly in class.

For whatever reason, she can’t shake the feeling that Joohyun really was being followed.

-

The time in between Wendy’s classes was usually spent catching up on some coursework. Being a premed student, Wendy had a lot more study material than she did actual homework. Much of her free time is spent memorizing, thanks to the help of her friends for sticking it out with her. Well, it’s mostly Seulgi because the other two have the attention span of a peanut most of the time. Plus, Yeri likes to personally antagonize Wendy by making her think the answer is wrong when it isn’t. With Hwasa, Wendy spent most of her time doing homework in the library or lounge to avoid spending time in their room. With Joohyun, Wendy feels like she’ll probably be able to study in peace, even if the other woman is in the room with her.

It’s for that reason that she doesn’t retreat to the library when she realizes Irene is actually in their room. She almost jumps when the door opens as if she wasn’t expecting it. Wendy guesses she’s not used to having anyone around so it’s a fair reaction. They don’t speak as Wendy puts her things down and slides into her desk chair. Joohyun had gone back to reading her book before Wendy had even shut the door, so Wendy assumes she won’t be much of a bother while she works on her homework. Wendy gets to work on her pathology homework, only vaguely aware of the presence behind her. She feels like she’s being watched though, and that alone is making it difficult to focus, but she doesn’t want to turn around just in case she’s imagining things. 

It only takes five minutes for Wendy to turn around, positive that Joohyun really is looking at her. And she’s right, the girl immediately glances back to her book when she catches Wendy turning around. It’s weird, she feels like she’s being studied. “Do you need something?”

She asks politely, not at all accusatory, but Joohyun still gives her a less than pleasant look. “No.”

“Then why are you looking at me?”

“I wasn’t.”

Wendy blinks a few times, is this how things are going to be? “I caught you looking at me.”

Joohyun’s attention remains on her book but Wendy can see she’s not actually reading because her eyes aren’t moving. She doesn’t know what to say, but she doesn’t want this conversation to end with her being accusatory. “Look, if you’re still upset about what I said I’m really sorry. It was out of line and people just say a lot of things and I was being mean.” 

“It’s fine, I know what people say.” She seems so unbothered by the situation, and Wendy isn’t sure if she genuinely is unbothered or just a really good actress.

“I’m still sorry,” She pauses, hoping maybe Joohyun would say something but she doesn’t, “and I’m sorry if I’m encroaching on your space. I know you probably didn’t have time to prepare, if you even knew at all.”

Joohyun finally looks at her with that same blank, unamused expression. Wendy wonders if she’ll ever show any emotion to her, not counting the look on her face when Wendy saw her earlier. “I did know, I’m just not used to sharing my space.”

It feels a bit like an attack, but Wendy brushes it off in favor of not getting crucified if she takes it personally. “I get it, my last roommate didn’t really know what personal space is. So you don’t have to worry about me snooping or anything.”

Joohyun gives her another look, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as if she’s confused or surprised by what Wendy said. She wishes she had bitten her tongue, what was the point in worrying Joohyun that she would snoop if that’s not what the girl had meant at all? Now she just looks creepy. The conversation ends there, Joohyun seemingly uninterested in carrying it anymore and Wendy didn’t mind, she’d rather Joohyun not see the way her cheeks reddened with embarrassment once she turned back to her work. She nearly jumps when Joohyun speaks up a few moments later, her voice less monotone this time around. “I just like having a space to relax when I’m not busy.”

“Would you like me to go somewhere else?” Wendy doesn’t turn around, trying to sound just as disinterested in what Joohyun had to say. Her pencil stills however, because she  _ is  _ interested in what Joohyun will say, she just doesn’t want the girl to know. The response doesn’t come though, and Wendy is slowly losing her patience for the girl. How entitled does she have to be to try and kick her roommate out for doing nothing?

“No,” The answer finally comes, and Wendy’s annoyance fades a bit, but Joohyun sounds like she wanted to say something else, “it’s fine.”

It’s Wendy’s turn to not answer this time. She doesn’t know how to respond to that anyways, it’s as if Joohyun really is implying that she doesn’t want her around without outright saying it. Wendy is polite, for the most part at least, but she’s not going to be chased out of her room for the second time that semester. So Joohyun would just have to get used to her being around, and she’d have to get used to her in return she supposes. Whether that will be easy or not, Wendy doesn’t know. 

-

Wendy is more than glad that she has Joy and Seulgi’s room to infiltrate whenever she needs to, especially after realizing that Joohyun might not want her around. While she wouldn’t be chased out, she respected the girl enough to give her space if she wanted it, and maybe she was a little scared of her still. 

“So, you’re telling me that she basically implied that she doesn’t want you around.” Joy sounds offended for Wendy as they lounge on her bed, the taller girl painting her toenails a light shade of pink. Wendy just hums in confirmation, pulling Joy’s fluffy pillow up to her chin.

“Wow, talk about disrespect, it’s your room too you know.” Yeri voiced her opinion from across the room on Seulgi’s bed. The girl was sprawled out with her legs against the wall as Seulgi was in her late class. The night typically went like this since Seulgi had most of her classes at night, Wendy never really understood but Seulgi said something about computer engineering students focusing better throughout the day rather than in the morning. She’s not sure if Seulgi made it up, but she doesn’t really care. 

“Yeah well,” Wendy sighs, rubbing her temples to ease the oncoming headache a bit, “it’s fine. It was her room first I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.”

Joy snorts and screws the cap back on the nail polish. “Then don’t tell her you’re a lesbian, that’ll really make her uncomfortable.” 

“Do you really think she’s homophobic?” Wendy was nervous, she didn’t want her roommate to hate her even more if she ever found out.

“Probably,” Yeri shrugs as she sits upright on the bed, swinging her legs over it, “she’s a devout christian I hear.”

Wendy can’t deny that one, for as many rumors of her being a witch or a satanist, it’s pretty obvious that the girl has faith. She keeps her bible and cross on display and Wendy has yet to see her without the cross around her neck. That only makes her more uneasy, maybe Joohyun won’t burn her at the stake or cast spells on her but she might condemn her or preach hate at her for her orientation if she were to find out. 

The conversation eventually switches gears to more lighthearted news, and Joy becomes bashful when Yeri prods about the event coming up for fashion students. “So, did you make the cut?”

Their attention turns to her sheepish face, a blush spreading over her cheeks in a rare moment of embarrassment for the usually confident girl. She nods with a smile and both Wendy and Yeri cheer excitedly for her. Since her first year, Joy has always wanted to be accepted into the yearly exhibit, but she was always worried her designs weren’t good enough. After seeing her designs for this year, the girls were sure she would make the cut, and they were incredibly proud of her.

“We absolutely have to celebrate!” Yeri gets excited at Wendy’s suggestion, the prospect of being able to drink never fails to grasp the girl’s attention.

Joy, never one to turn away attention from herself just agrees eagerly. “We can celebrate next weekend, when we’re all free.”

Wendy finds it thoughtful that Joy remembers their schedules; between her track meets and Seulgi’s club, their weekends were usually full. Even Yeri was busy on weekends, spending time with some of her friends from the music department. She had her own club gatherings too, and an event similar to Joy’s where music samples are picked and shown off at an event. Yeri never made a big deal about it, but the girls knew that she wanted to be featured very badly.

“Hey, maybe you should invite Sungjae to celebrate with us.” Yeri wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Joy and ducked when the latter hurled a pillow across the room at her.

“Shut up!”

Wendy shook her head fondly, zoning out as the two girls began to talk animatedly about boys. She was never really interested in those conversations, and they didn’t blame her really, but she’s glad that sometimes they indulge in her preferences too and talk about girls with her. It makes her feel included even if they don’t necessarily understand it the way she does. Girl talk has been severely limited as of recently due to what happened the year prior. Her actions became a bit of a sore spot for the friend group, and if avoiding talk about girls helped in any way, then she would keep it to herself. Her phone buzzed, stopping her from getting too far into her head, thankfully. She doesn’t recognize the number though, and that makes her a bit uneasy as she opens the message.

_ It’s Joohyun, I’ll be out late again tonight. _

Wendy is beyond confused, how the hell did Joohyun get her number? She knows for sure she never gave it to the other girl. She’s about to respond when she receives another message, annoyance flooding her body this time around.

_ Please refrain from leaving your shoes near the door this time. _

Who was Joohyun to tell her what to do? It’s not like she had meant to leave her shoes in the girl’s path, it was an accident. Wendy thinks she has some nerve to talk like that, even if Wendy insulted her to begin with and probably deserves it.

“Hello… Earth to Wendy.” Her eyes snap up when Joy waves a hand in front of her face, both of her friends looking at her confused. “What’s got you looking so constipated?”

“Joohyun texted me.”

Yeri’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah, there’s just one issue,” she looks between them, unintentionally building suspense, “I never gave her my number.” 

Her friends looked a bit shocked at first, but eventually they started giggling as if this situation was funny. It didn’t make Wendy feel any better, it actually made her slightly more annoyed. She couldn’t be the only one who found it weird and creepy that Joohyun had her number.

“What if she’s stalking you?” Yeri laughed as she teased Wendy, actually earning herself a pillow to the face this time. 

“That’s not funny! I don’t know how she got it.” Wendy was pouting much like a grumpy child, something that made it even easier to tease her. The two didn’t relent, trying to convince Wendy that she had a stalker named Joohyun, but Wendy wasn’t convinced. Even if she didn’t believe it, she still didn’t have an explanation as to how the girl got her number in the first place.

Joohyun couldn’t be stalking her, they live together that would just be completely foolish and pointless. Right?


	3. Ex's and Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Took forever to update TT sorry... not beta read so sorry for mistakes.  
> Chapter title from the song Ex's and Oh's.... it'll make more sense as you read

“So how’s the new roommate situation?”

Wendy huffs indignantly as she runs alongside Jeongyeon on their jog. Five laps around the track for a warm up before they got into their practice with the rest of the team. Usually the two made small talk as they ran, catching up with one another. And as much as Wendy enjoyed her quiet morning runs, she also loved getting to run with her friend and keep herself occupied.

“Well,” Wendy sighs, running a hand along her sweaty brow, “I’m pretty sure she hates me.”

Jeongyeon chuckles in amusement, clapping Wendy on the shoulder in support. “I wouldn’t sweat it, Joohyun probably hates everyone.”

Even if she was right, Wendy was just the type of person who didn’t like to have enemies. She was friendly, at least she hoped, and it always made her feel sad whenever someone didn’t like her. Seulgi always told her that you can’t please everyone, and she knows that but it doesn't mean she won’t try at least.

“I insulted her before we even introduced ourselves and then tripped her with a shoe when she came home the same night.”

“I don’t know much about Joohyun,” they nod at their coach as they finish their fourth lap, “but that would definitely make most people dislike you.”

Wendy groans, shaking her head in embarrassment at the mere thought of how badly her first impression went. At least Jeongyeon doesn’t say anything else, she doesn’t even laugh just to spare her friend of the extra embarrassment. If anything, Wendy would say she looks a bit more serious and hesitant than a few seconds ago.

“What’s that look for?” She catches Jeongyeon’s eyes, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach.

“Nayeon’s been asking about you.”

That’s nearly enough to make Wendy halt in her place. The name alone was a sore spot for the athlete, to hear it in that context felt absolutely no better. “What? Why?”

Jeongyeon gives her a hesitant shrug, slowing her pace down to match Wendy’s after she faltered. “She misses you.”

“Misses me?” Wendy can’t believe what she’s hearing, Nayeon’s name left a nasty taste in her mouth since the day they parted, she wanted nothing more than to forget the catalyst that was Im Nayeon. “I didn’t know that witch was capable of feeling at all.”

Jeongyeon gave her a look that explicitly expressed her disapproval. It was no secret the two were friends, Wendy had actually met Nayeon through Jeongyeon in the first place. It was a miracle that Jeongyeon managed to stay friends with her after the events that took place. “She made a mistake, Wendy. We all do.”

“A Mistake,” Wendy stops fully now and Jeongyeon does as well as she turns to face her, “that’s what you call what happened? A mistake? Need I remind you that she drove a wedge through my friendship with Seulgi.”

“That’s not entirely her fault…”

Wendy can’t believe her ears, there was no way Jeongyeon was defending Nayeon right now. She knew the story in full, Wendy can’t fathom how she would defend Nayeon for a second against her. “I’m not doing this right now. Tell Nayeon she can go fuck herself.”

Her blood was pounding in her ears as she kicked off again, running as fast as possible to prevent Jeongyeon from catching up. She’s glad she’s faster than the younger girl, leaving no room for Jeongyeon to catch up and continue to talk about topics she desperately wanted to avoid. Wendy spends the rest of practice avoiding Jeongyeon’s gaze and inwardly seething with resentment.

-

She couldn’t shake the angry feeling the entire way back to her dorm, and she didn’t know whether or not to feel ashamed. Wendy hated that even the mention of Nayeon had so much power over her, she shouldn’t feel so angry it only meant that she was letting START Nayeon win. Nayeon already won once, Wendy sure as hell wasn’t going to let it happen again.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess as she swiped her card, unlocking the front door and entering with a frown and a huff. The officer at the desk flashed her a thumbs up when she displayed her card, and she stomped up the stairs and the entire stretch down the hallway until her door came into view.

“Stupid fucking Nayeon.” She couldn’t help but bitterly spit out words to herself as she unlocked the door, shoving it open and grumbling when she slammed it shut behind her. She turned back towards her bed and startled when she realized Joohyun was sitting on her own bed staring at her with a surprised face. “Ah… sorry about that.”

Wendy rubbed her nape awkwardly, cheeks colored red with embarrassment. It was odd how her anger seemed to flood away into embarrassment the moment she caught Joohyun’s gaze. The other girl doesn’t say anything though, instead she returns to her book with her usual blank expression. Wendy doesn’t know whether to feel relieved or offended, on one hand she didn’t want to talk about it, and on the other hand she wants Joohyun to actually speak to her for whatever strange reason.

She doesn’t dwell on the lack of interaction, rather grabbing her shower tote and her towel and slipping her shoes and sweaty socks off. Wendy slips on her flip flops and leaves the room without another word, secretly hoping Joohyun will be gone when she gets back so she can change in peace. The bathroom is completely empty when she pushes the door open, much to her relief. Most people usually have class around this time, so she’s not too surprised that the bathroom is vacant. 

Wendy picks the middle shower, shutting the stall door behind her. The middle shower is the best one, it’s not too hot or cold like the first shower, and it doesn’t flood like the third shower. Showers are a relaxing event for Wendy, as much as she likes running it can get a bit overwhelming after a while, so being able to wash away all the sweat and tension was definitely a plus. Today was definitely one of those days that she needed to just calm down and relax. 

She works mechanically to remove her clothes and step into the shower, breathing out as the warm water hits her tense muscles. Tension slowly melted away from her skin and bones, flooding down the drain as she soaked her hair. Images flashed behind her eyes, ones that usually made her feel an overwhelming sense of anger, but instead she just felt sad.

_ “You’re cute you know.” Nayeon poked her nose as they cuddled on her bed, Wendy’s head in her lap, a cheesy smile spreading on her lips.  _

_ “Not as cute as you.” _

_ Nayeon gave her a cheeky smile, her eyes twinkling with adoration that was definitely matched by Wendy’s own eyes. She leans down and presses their lips together, tasting of strawberries and chocolate against Wendy’s tongue. “I know.” _

The memories weren’t all inherently bad, and Wendy sighed as she remembered the best of it. Nayeon was a firework full of passion, confident and arrogant but sickeningly sweet and tender. Wendy was wrapped around her finger from the start, but it wasn’t always such a bad thing. She lathers her hair with shampoo, glad to rid her senses of the lingering chocolate strawberries in favor of lavender and jasmine. The water cascades down her hair, rinsing the suds away as her eyes shut promptly again. 

_ “She’s my best friend!” Wendy can’t believe they were having this argument again for the third time that week. “I’ve told you, you have nothing to be jealous of.” _

_ “Nothing? Really? You spend so much time with her, you always laugh with her and hug her, I can see it in your eyes Seungwan. You love her.” _

_ “Seulgi is my best friend!” Wendy hated seeing the hurt in Nayeon’s eyes, she would do anything to get rid of that look. She softens when the other girl sighs as tears start to build, and she reaches out to grab her hand and pull her close with a look of pure love in her eyes. “What can I do to prove to you that you’re the only one I want to be with?” _

_ Nayeon leaned in and pressed another strawberry kiss to her lips, but this time it tasted much more sour. The look in Nayeon’s eyes when she pulled away told Wendy enough. _

Wendy still regards that moment as the biggest mistake of her life. She never should have let Nayeon manipulate her like that, she should’ve seen the signs earlier. Wendy was naive and thought she was in love and that was completely her fault. She still blamed herself even when everyone told her it wasn’t worth beating herself up anymore. She’s just lucky that she was able to fix everything and get her friends back, especially Seulgi.

She finishes washing the conditioner out of her hair as the bathroom door opens and footsteps ring in her ears. She doesn’t pay any mind to it at first, it was probably just someone on the floor using the bathroom, but she doesn’t hear a stall close or a sink turn on. Rather, she hears footsteps approach her stall and suddenly stop. It’s weird, and she falters for a moment, listening with bated breath before pulling the curtain back silently. Her heart skips a beat when she sees the boots outside of her stall door, one’s she definitely doesn’t recognize. Joohyun only has two pairs of shoes and she knows for a fact none of her friends would wear shoes like that.

“Hello?” Maybe it was dumb to call out, but if it was cleaning staff or another person wanting to use the stall she needed to let them know it was definitely occupied. Her confusion only grew when she watched the boots disappear and footsteps fade away. Wendy holds her breath until the bathroom door squeaks open and slams shut again. She hears nothing for a solid minute and deduces that she’s alone. She continues to wash her body down, no longer feeling relaxed and definitely just ready to get back to her room to change and head to class. 

She shuts the water off after she’s fully clean, wrapping her towel around herself and grabbing her tote before hesitantly pushing the stall door open. A quick look around the bathroom tells her that she’s alone, there’s no one else inside but her. It doesn’t help to ease her nerves, because she knows that someone  _ was  _ in there with her a few minutes earlier. Her heart comes rushing to a halt when she turns back and finds a sticky note taped to the stall door in unfamiliar handwriting.

_ I see you. _

Wendy drops the note as if it burned her. Terrified by the prospect that someone was actually watching her, she rushes from the bathroom into the hallway where there was a higher chance of someone else lurking. She takes a moment to calm her nerves in the empty hallway, convincing herself it was probably just a prank. She was probably just being paranoid for nothing, especially after thinking about Nayeon so much she wouldn’t be surprised if it was just paranoia. 

Wendy makes her way back to her room, opening the door and kicking her flip flops off before putting her tote back on the vanity. She dries off and gets dressed in some lighter attire as the sun was out that day and it was particularly warm for fall weather. She makes it through brushing her hair and putting it into a messy ponytail as well as getting her shoes on and slipping her bag on before she realizes something. Joohyun wasn’t in the room anymore. Wendy swallows harshly and thinks back to the bathroom, hoping it’s just a coincidence that her roommate is suddenly nowhere to be seen.

-

Of all of her courses, Wendy disliked {insert course here} the most. It was a three hour lab essentially, the room was stuffy, there were too many people, and the professor was a drag. Not to mention she had far too much work for this course compared to the others, this class was the sole reason she had to skip hanging out with her friends most of the time. To make matters worse, her lab partner Chaeyoung wasn’t exactly the best. She was a good person, really sweet and way smarter than Wendy, but she was infatuated with Wendy and it made her uncomfortable. Nonetheless, Wendy still was polite with her and gently turned her down each time. What she did like about Chaeyoung was the fact that they could converse in English, and her accent was pretty. 

“Morning Wendy, how was your practice?” Wendy gave Chaeyoung a polite smile as she sat down next to her, dropping her bag to the floor. Chaeyoung wasn’t on the track team, or associated with anyone who was as far as Wendy was concerned, but she somehow knew all the little details about Wendy and it was slightly unsettling.

“It was alright, how has your morning been so far?”

“It was good, better now that we’re here.” Chaeyoung sent her a wink and Wendy forced a smile. It’s a shame she’s not interested, Chaeyoung really is a sweet girl even if she does slightly unsettle Wendy. As if she notices Wendy’s slight discomfort, she changes the subject. “So, are you ready for your meet this weekend?”

Honestly, Wendy was so focused on everything else she nearly forgot there was a meet. Nothing too big really, they were sparring against a local college but it didn’t count. It was merely just practice for them, for the real competitions coming up. Wendy was still going to do her best anyways. “Yeah I think so, not too worried about it.”

“Well, I’ll be rooting for you.”

Wendy smiles at her with another polite smile, feeling a bit guilty for being so fake with her. She just wasn’t interested in another relationship. “Thanks.”

Chaeyoung had been in Wendy’s program since their first year, and the girl had always been incredibly bubbly and sweet towards her. Wendy initially found it endearing, unable to realize that she was actually being hit on by Chaeyoung. After she got with Nayeon, she started to recognize that Chaeyoung was being very overly flirty with her and she had to explain she was in a relationship. The other at least had the decency to respect her boundaries then, but after their split Chaeyoung went right back to flirting with her as if nothing had happened. Wendy likes to think that they’d make a good pair in another lifetime, but this one just wasn’t meant to be.

They start to work on their assignment for the day with some conversation in between, but Wendy gets distracted when her phone buzzes. There was a strict no phone rule, another reason why she disliked this class so much, but the professor was too busy with other students to ever really catch anyone on their phones. She glances at Chaeyoung to make sure she wasn’t paying attention before she opens her phone and reads the message from Seulgi.

_ Won’t make lunch today, have an appointment with my counselor. Sorry Wen :( _

Wendy’s eyes widened a bit, she hadn’t expected Seulgi to be seeing her counselor again, but she can’t say she’s disappointed. Seulgi started to see the counselor in freshman year but eventually stopped when she felt better, she saw her again after the Nayeon incident which made Wendy feel like shit. But now she was happy for Seulgi, every time she saw the counselor she ended up feeling much better.

_ No worries Seul :) good luck with your counselor! _

Wendy smiles when Seulgi sends a heart back, but Chaeyoung clears her throat and gestures to the professor who was nearby and her happiness is short-lived. She tucks her phone into her backpack again and gets back to work in hopes of finishing early. She really is glad Seulgi is getting help again, her friend hasn’t had the easiest experience and she certainly hasn’t made it any better with the entire falling out debacle. Wendy vowed to always be there for Seulgi after that, and to make sure she wore her heart on her sleeve and gave Seulgi her entire trust. Seulgi did the same for her, and Wendy thought it was only fair for her to do it back.

She had planned on mentioning the strange encounter in the shower that morning to Seulgi while they had lunch together, but she supposes she can wait. She’s not really sure she can tell anyone else, who knows if they were the one that creeped outside of her stall? Seulgi, Yeri, and Joy were honestly the only people she could trust at that point. It would be nice to add Joohyun to the list, but she’s probably screwed that one up for good. Wendy can’t help but wonder if Joohyun was the one outside of her stall, she hasn’t seen her handwriting before so there’s a chance it could be her. She really hopes it isn’t, transferring rooms again is just another hassle with a cost this time and she’s not interested. It can’t be Joohyun, that’s what Wendy thinks at least, she was weird but not that weird.

Wendy can’t help but feel unnerved as she finishes up her assignment, maybe there was more to Joohyun than she thought.

-

Wendy is exhausted from the day’s events by the time she returns back to the dorm after her final class. From practice to the incident in the shower to all of her classes, she was just ready to get some homework done and sleep. Of course nothing ever works out the way she wants it to, because standing in the hallway and effectively blocking her access to her room is Im Nayeon, the last person she wanted to see.

Nayeon looked as good as she always does, as beautiful as the first day Wendy laid eyes on her. Now the distant memory makes Wendy shrivel in anger, if only they had never crossed paths in the first place. She knows there is no avoiding this conversation, not when Nayeon was seemingly waiting outside of her door, but Wendy hoped she was waiting for Jeongyeon just across the hall.

“Wendy…” Nope, she was definitely waiting for Wendy. The girl sighs, rubbing her head as she feels the pangs already settling in. Forget homework, she needs a drink instead.

“What do you want, Nayeon?”

“Can we talk?” Wendy forgot the sound of her voice, she’s not even sure how she forgot but she wished she could never remember. Everything was too painful right now, she didn’t need nor want to remember the voice that ruined her life. 

“No, can you please move?”

“No,” Nayeon scoffed, hands against her hips in signature diva fashion, “we’re going to talk.”

“I’m not in the mood.”

“You at least owe me an explanation for leaving me. I miss you.”

Wendy wanted to collapse hearing that. Everything inside of her was bubbling with anger at the mere thought that she owed Nayeon a damn thing. Her fists balled and she’s positive her face was turning red from the look on Nayeon’s face, but Wendy was tired of holding back. “I owe you an explanation?”

There’s a beat as Nayeon just nods confidently; Wendy is sure she believes that she did nothing wrong.

“Maybe it’s because from day one you did nothing but manipulate me into being your little puppet. You just used me for so long without a single care. I lost my friends because of you. I lost Seulgi because you were so jealous and possessive you couldn’t handle me caring about anyone else. Well you know what Nayeon? I don’t care about you anymore, not even slightly. So please get the fuck out of my way before I call security.”

Was it harsh? Maybe a little, but Wendy honestly was past the point of caring. Nayeon deserved every single word and more for how hellish she made Wendy’s life. Wendy didn’t feel an ounce of remorse when the brunette started crying. “Fuck you Son Seungwan.”

She watched the brunette storm off, annoyed and exhausted. She used to love when Nayeon called her by her birth name. Now the mere idea of anyone saying it made her want to keel over and hurl. Nayeon was the sole reason for so many things falling apart in her life, she owed her nothing anymore. Yet she was still giving Nayeon her tears, not that she would know. Wendy throws open the door to her room for the second time that day, this time with fat angry tears rolling down her cheeks. And for the second time that day, Joohyun sees her in an emotionally vulnerable state and says nothing. 

She’s too tired for this, but seeing Joohyun makes the anger build even more. She remembers the note and Joohyun getting her phone number somehow, and she feels her resolve crumble. “How the hell did you get my phone number? Are you stalking me or something?”

Joohyun looks startled, probably the most visible emotion Wendy has seen from her yet. She blinks a few times, clearing her throat as she places her tattered bag back down on her bed. Wendy is seething, breathing heavy as she continues to cry, waiting for the explanation she demanded. 

“Your number is on your student profile. You know, the one you created?” Joohyun doesn’t sound offended, she doesn’t really sound like anything at all. If Wendy had to guess, she just sounds tired and bored like always. It didn’t make her feel any better, especially knowing that she had no reason to come at Joohyun for her phone number.

“Well,” Wendy inhales sharply, hiccuping on her tears that she was desperately trying to stem, “what about the note on the stall door?”

That piqued Joohyun’s interest, and her eyebrow rose inquisitively at the question. Evidently she didn’t care enough, as her attention turned back to her bag that she was closing and throwing over her shoulders. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

Wendy should’ve said something else. She should’ve blocked Joohyun’s path to the door and forced her to tell the truth, but instead she says nothing and moves out of the way. She feels hopeless and exhausted and now she feels like an ass, again. “I… I’m sorry that was out of line today was just…”

She trails off hoping the message gets across, but Joohyun isn’t even paying attention to her which only makes her deflate a bit more. She supposes she deserves it though, and she flops on her bed, hand covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle a sob.

“I get it,” Joohyun turns to look at her with the same stoic expression as always, but Wendy still meets her gaze, “I heard what was happening in the hallway.”

She leaves it at that, zipping her coat up and throwing her keys into her bag as Wendy watches. Wendy wants to say more, but she doesn’t, she just watches like she always does as Joohyun opens the door and sees herself out. Her head meets her pillow before the door closes, and she lets out a pathetic sound in the process.

“I hope you feel better.” 

The door shuts before Wendy can look back up, and she’s not even sure if Joohyun had even said that at all. Regardless, she smiles even the tiniest bit because Joohyun actually said something to her and it wasn’t in response to Wendy being insulting, well at least not entirely. She lets herself cry for a bit, reminding herself that shitty days happen but tomorrow is always a new opportunity.

_ “I hope you feel better.” _

And you know, maybe today didn’t have to end on such a bad note.


End file.
